New Delhi, Aug 31 The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that authorities in Muscat are examining claims that the family of Indian merchant navy captain Ashish Kumar received ransom calls following his disappearance after a drone or missile attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that DNA profiling of severely burnt mortal remains, believed to be those of Kumar and recovered from the merchant vessel, could not be carried out by the Muscat authorities.
The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by Kumar's wife, Anshu Kumari, who has said that the captain could still be alive due to the failure to obtain a conclusive DNA match and the alleged ransom calls received by the family.
The law officer told the bench that the authorities had been informed about the family's concerns, including claims relating to Kumar's mobile phone.
"The bones which were recovered were so burnt that they could not be analysed for DNA matching purposes," the Solicitor General said.
He added that the family had raised another concern regarding the captain's mobile phone, which was allegedly found and at times appeared to show activity, while its display picture was also changed.
"Our Embassy in Muscat has reported this fact to their counterpart," Mehta told the bench.
According to Kumar's wife, the family received multiple ransom calls in March in which a demand of Rs 20 lakh was allegedly made.
The Solicitor General said that, in view of the suspicious ransom calls and the inconclusive DNA examination, the family had sought intensive efforts to trace Kumar, track the mobile phones and investigate records connected with the matter.
He told the court that the Muscat authorities had communicated that they were examining the matter and were taking steps within their capacity.
After hearing the submissions, the Chief Justice asked the counsel for the petitioner to obtain a copy of the report submitted by the Solicitor General and posted the matter for further hearing on Monday.
